The field of the invention pertains to cleaning brushes. The invention relates more particularly to a pool brush attachment which is specially adapted to produce a hydrodynamic, transverse scrubbing force on a brush head portion of the pool brush when cleaning the surfaces of a water-filled pool.
Pool brushes have been utilized for cleaning algae, dirt, and debris accumulated on the walls and floor surfaces of pools. Pool brushes typically have a brush head portion transversely secured to a long pole or handle. However, due to the depth and span of most pools, it is oftentimes arduous and difficult to apply a transverse scrubbing force on the brush portion for proper and adequate cleaning of a pool surface. Moreover, the difficulty is greatly compounded because of the precarious nature of standing at the edge of a pool when cleaning.
To remedy this problem and facilitate cleaning of pool surfaces, various devices have been developed with hydrodynamic wings, planes, and other means to produce transverse thrust forces at the brush portion of a pool brush.
Many such prior art devices utilize a pivot mechanism which produces a hydrodynamic transverse force on a brush head during both the upward and downward strokes. For example, in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,243,576, 4,909,173, and 5,864,917, vane components are shown pivotally held on either the brush head or the elongated handle of a cleaning brush. Each of the vanes function to pivot about a pivot axis which is normal to the direction of motion when reciprocating between upward and downward strokes. And in particular, the vanes in all the aforementioned prior art patents pivot away from the direction of motion. However, forcing a pool brush against a wall during its upward return stroke is not necessarily a desirable feature for pool cleaning purposes. The upward return stroke does not accomplish the purpose of the brushing of the pool walls, i.e. to move dirt and debris down and away from the walls, and toward the drain at the bottom of the pool.
Additionally, prior art pool brush attachments have also utilized stationary or "fixed" attachment designs to produce transverse forces against the brush head. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,983,431, an attachment for a pool brush is shown having a hydrofoil with an upstanding fin fixedly connected to a base portion at approximately a right angle thereto. Flow apertures along the upstanding fin operate together with the angular configuration of the upstanding fin and base portion to produce a transverse force when the pool brush is pushed in a downward motion. Furthermore, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,402,413, a pool brush guide is shown having a force surface 40 fixedly extending from a guide surface 30 at a trailing end. Additionally a leading edge surface 32, is fixedly connected to the guide surface 30 at a front edge 33. Similar to the '431 patent, the configuration in the '413 patent also produces a transverse force on the brush portion when the pool brush is pushed in a downward motion without necessarily producing a transverse force during the upward stroke.
The disadvantage of the '431 and '413 patents (as well as the '576, '173, and '917 patents) is that their design configurations may not produce an adequate transverse force suitable for facilitated pool scrubbing. This is especially true for the '431 patent because water flow is not impeded or redirected in a direct manner against an attack, or otherwise direct contact, surface. The upstanding fin, notwithstanding its name, does not stand directly in the path of fluid flow to produce the transverse force. Moreover, while the pool brush guide in the '413 patent utilizes a force surface 40 to directly impede and redirect fluid flow for producing a transverse force, this design may not impede water sufficiently to produce the required transverse force to remove tough dirt and debris. This is also true for the pivotally angled vents of the '576, '173, and '917 patents. With these prior art attachments and devices, an exceedingly arduous amount of downward force may be necessary to exert a proportionally useful transverse scrubbing force against the pool surface.